Review: Making It Complicated by Clarisse David

No promises. No expectations. Just one night on a paradise island that could mean everything.

Nineteen-year-old Cam has a metric ton of emotional baggage and is in no mood to unload them on anyone. After her parents' marriage imploded, stress-free is the only way she wants her life to be. And what could be more freeing than spending the summer on Boracay? Absolutely nothing... until she bumps heads with Hunter, the hot drummer who screams incoming heartbreak from a mile away.

Hunter has grand plans, none of which include angry-at-the-world Cam, best friend to the girl he always thought he'd end up with. He likes his life steady, thank you very much. But steady has now become synonymous with boring. His grand plans don't seem so grand anymore. So when Cam comes home to Iloilo City and reaches out to him, he surprises himself when the one answer he can think of is... yes. Definitely yes.

Sometimes, complications are the only things that make sense.

It's a shame that as I get older I find myself unable to read and enjoy books in the YA and NA genres, simply because the characters are some ten years younger than me, so I have little patience for teenage angst. Fortunately, Making It Complicated was a smooth ride for me. It felt very short and I probably would have finished it in one sitting if school didn't get in the way (boo, school).

What I love most about Making It Complicated is how sweet the whole story is, and how it made me nostalgic for my teenage years. I love Cam a lot; she's very spirited and witty. She's also very young and it shows in her thoughts and decision making, and I love seeing her try to navigate her way through her growing feelings for Hunter, her dilemma about coming clean to her best friend Melissa about him, and the troubles she faces at home with her recently-split parents. By the end of the book, I felt like I've watched my little sister grew up.

The friendship formed between Cam and Hunter's bandmates is also one of my favourite things. They all have distinct personalities it's a wonder that they all survive that long in the same band. The scene-stealer for me is definitely Cal. There is more to that one than meets the eye, I feel. Give him a book, Clarisse!

Another thing that I love about this book is the setting of the story. Iloilo City sounds like the place I grew up in, hence the nostalgic factor. I legit googled the city while reading and the whole place looks amazing. Considering the Philippines isn't that far from where I live, maybe I should pay it a visit one day.

My only problem with this book is I expected it to also be Hunter's story. The blurb made it sound like we would have dual POVs, but instead we only got Cam's. I would've liked to be in Hunter's head too; I'd kill to know his thoughts during that one night in Boracay, and a couple of other interesting events that happened in the story. Since we only saw Hunter from Cam's POV, he seems a little too nice, I feel? Having his POV would have brought different layers to his character.

That being said, the absence of Hunter's POV didn't affect my enjoyment of this story because Cam is a pretty strong character on her own. All in all, Making It Complicated is sweet and entertaining, and I'm glad that I gave it a chance.